Thursday, January 29, 2015

Welcome to my stop on the
Book Blast, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for A Perfect Catch
by Anna Sugden. Please leave a comment or question for Anna
to let her know you stopped by. You can
enter her tour wide giveaway, for a $15 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn winner
via Rafflecopter, as well as 4 signed copies of A Perfect CatchAND 4
exclusive A Perfect Catch notebooks. (international giveaway),
by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
You can also follow the rest of the tour by clicking on the tour banner
above.

When it comes to romance,
Tracy Hayden is not looking for a rematch. She's had epic passion—and
problems!—with professional hockey player Ike Jelinek. Brilliant on skates and
magic in bed, his too-traditional-for-her views were like a bucket of ice water
on their affair.

Then an injury takes Ike out
of the game, and everything changes. Suddenly he needs her services-providing
business—even though he once claimed it was their biggest problem. Tracy's
determined to be professional, despite the sizzling attraction between them
that won't go away. Maybe they need a second fling to fix that!

EXCLUSIVE
EXCERPT

“Why
does it take so long to have a baby?”

At
her niece’s question, Tracy Hayden looked up from the stack of invoices she was
logging into her business’s accounting system.

She
smiled at Emily, who was playing a game on the other home-office computer.
“They don’t have bar codes on their bums, so you can’t just pick them up at a
grocery store.”

Tracy’s
sister, Maggie, had gone to the hospital early that morning, when her water had
broken. The latest update from Maggie’s anxious husband, Jake, at 5:00 p.m.,
had been that all was progressing well, if a bit slowly.

Now,
at seven-thirty, ten-year-old Emily’s excitement was stretched thin by the lack
of action.

“Very
funny, Auntie Tracy.” The soon-to-be older sister rolled her eyes. “Do you
think Mummy’s having a girl or a boy?”

“Hmm.”
Tracy pretended to consider the question seriously. “I have a feeling the
sproglet is a boy.”

Her
niece leaned forward eagerly. “Why?”

Tracy
lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Your mum put sugar in her cup of tea
yesterday. They say you need extra sweetness if you’re having a boy.”

Emily’s
eyes widened. “She also ate a whole bar of Cadbury’s chocolate from her stash.”

“Aha.”
Tracy snapped her fingers. “That settles it.”

“A
baby brother would be okay,” Emily mused. “He wouldn’t want any of my things.
Plus he’ll like sports. I could teach him to skate and play hockey.”

Tracy
clipped the invoices together, then slipped them into a folder marked November
Bills. She’d allocate them to the appropriate accounts tomorrow. “That would be
nice.”

“Maybe
he’ll even get to play on the Ice Cats like Daddy Jake.”

Jake
“Bad Boy” Badoletti was a star defenseman for the local professional hockey
team, the New Jersey Ice Cats. He and Maggie had gotten together after his
transfer from Chicago a few years ago, when Maggie had helped him find a place
to live. Though she’d been wary of falling for another pro athlete after
escaping an abusive marriage to Emily’s father—an English Premier League soccer
player—Jake had eventually won the hearts of both mother and daughter. As well
as being an avid fan of her stepfather’s team, Emily had also become a good
mites’ hockey player.

The
child pouted. “It’s not fair that girls can’t play for the Ice Cats.”

“You
never know. Maybe you’ll be the second woman to play in the NHL.”

“But
Manon Rhéaume was a goaltender.” Em wrinkled her nose. “I want to be a forward
and score lots of goals.”

Naturally.
Her niece was all about action.

The
phone rang, startling them both.

Tracy’s
heart leaped into her throat as she saw Jake’s number. She snatched up the
receiver. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.”
He sounded a little befuddled. “We have a boy. Eight pounds, six ounces. Mom
and son both doing well. Dad’s not sure he ever wants to go through that
again.”

“I
can’t believe, having survived it once with Emily, she’d be willing to do it
again.” He paused and Tracy could almost feel his shudder down the phone.
“Maggie’s one tough cookie.”

“She
certainly is.”

Despite
what she’d been through, Maggie had not only managed to make a fresh start in
the US, but she’d also embraced marriage again.

Something
Tracy couldn’t do after her own disastrous experience. That mess wasn’t
something she wanted to think about. Not when there was a new life to
celebrate. “So, are you up for visitors?”

“Sure.
Whenever you can get here. I’ll call my parents next and get them to pass the
news to everyone else.”

After
she’d hung up, Tracy turned to Emily. “A boy,” she said smugly.

“You
rock, Auntie Tracy.” Emily reached across the back-to-back desks to fist-bump
her. “When can we go to see him?”

“Right
now.” Tracy saved her files, then switched off her computer and stood. “Get
your coat and we’ll head over.”

Em
dashed out of the office. A moment later, she stuck her head back around the
door. “Don’t forget the teddy bear.”

“I
won’t. He’s already in the gift bag by the front door.”

The
drive to the hospital passed quickly, with Emily chattering like a magpie about
her new sibling. As they walked across the parking lot toward the hospital
entrance, Emily squealed and darted toward a tall dark-haired man getting out
of a black Mercedes SUV.

Harlequin SuperRomance
author, Anna Sugden, loves reading and writing happy endings as much as hockey!
When not reading or watching hockey, she loves football, good food & wine,
making simple cross-stitch projects, and collecting memorabilia, penguins and
fab shoes!

A former marketing executive
and primary teacher, Anna lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband and two
bossy black cats. Learn more about Anna, her heart-warming romances and her
shoes at www.annasugden.com
. You can also follow her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/annasugden.romanceauthor),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/annasugden)
Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/annasugden)
and on the Romance Bandits blog (www.romancebandits.com).

Welcome to
my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, Presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours,
for Murder,
Mayhem & Blissby LouLou Harrington. Please leave a comment or question for LouLou
to let her know you stopped by. You can
enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. You can also follow the rest of LouLou’s tour
by clicking on the tour banner above.

Nothing much
happens in Myrtle Grove, Oklahoma. So when prominent businessman Harry Kerr is
discovered face down in his pool shortly after dawn, the breakfast crowd in
Jesse Camden’s tea room is buzzing. Recognizing the name, Jesse hurries to her
friend Vivian Windsor, Myrtle Grove’s resident oil heiress and great-aunt to
Bliss Kerr, widow of the deceased and soon-to-be prime suspect in his
suspicious death.

Clearing
Bliss and finding the real murderer isn’t what Jesse meant when she offered her
assistance. And wrangling an eager band of helpers while chasing a tangle of
leads across the countryside, tripping over deputies and evidence along the
way, isn’t her first choice for her weekend. But here she is, and here she will
be, hearing secrets no one should know, and discovering betrayals no one could
live with, until Jesse finds her way through the maze of deceit to uncover the
real killer.

About LouLou Harrington:

A lifelong
fan of mysteries and the cozy genre, in particular, Loulou Harrington began her
published career in romances and is now happy to be writing what she has always
loved to read—a good, old-fashioned mystery. Even better, she has the chance to
incorporate her personal love of gardening, cooking, exploring quaint villages
and wandering through the great outdoors in her new Myrtle Grove Garden Club
mystery series. She sincerely hopes you will enjoy sharing this special world
with her.

A quiet
small town, a marriage with issues and a garden club determined to discover the
truth take center stage in LouLou Harrington’s
debut mystery, Murder,
Mayhem & Bliss. Colorful
characters, good dialogue and a solid mystery kept me turning the pages to
uncover who committed the crime. The first
book in a new series, Murder, Mayhem & Blissis a solid start to the Myrtle Grove Garden Mysteryseries.

When car
dealer Harry Kerry is discovered dead floating in his pool, and his wife, Bliss
appears to have no real alibi, the police jump to the natural conclusion that “the
wife did it”. Determined to prove her
niece innocent, oil heiress and the town’s wealthiest widow, Vivian Windsor
asks friend, and local tea room owner, Jesse Camden to uncover the truth behind
Harry’s death. While Jesse had offered
to help, she never thought she’d be conducting a clandestine investigation
behind the sheriff’s back, or that she’d be “helped” by the members of “The
Garden Club”. Determined to prove Bliss
is innocent, Jesse finds herself uncovering secrets, betrayals and deceit she
never would have imagined in her home town.

Ms. Harrington does a good job developing the characters
in her story; I really enjoyed getting to know Jesse, Vivian and the members of
the garden club. I also enjoyed the
friendship between Jesse and Vivian, what brought them together and keeps their
friendship thick as thieves. While it’s
clear from the start that Harry was not a nice man and that he and Bliss had an
estranged marriage, everyone in the garden club agrees that Bliss didn’t do it.
Though Jesse, Vivian and quite a few
other people think that Harry being dead is no great loss.

The mystery
is well written and takes plenty of twists and turns. While conducting her own investigation, Jesse
runs into and gets in the way of the police investigation a few times and it’s
clear the sheriff is not thrilled with her “meddling”. Especially since she’s good at uncovering
clues.

Will Jesse
discover who killed Harry and left him floating in the pool? Will the garden
club be better at solving a crime than the local police? You’ll have to read Murder, Mayhem
& Bliss to find out. I
enjoyed this cozy mystery with light humor and look forward to reading the next
book when it comes out.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Karen Rose Smith was born in the Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania. Although she was an only child, she remembers the bonds of an extended family. Since her father came from a family of ten and her mother, a family of seven, there were always aunts, uncles and cousins visiting on weekends. Family is a strong theme in her books and she suspects her childhood memories are the reason.

In college, Karen began writing poetry and also met her husband to be. They both began married life as teachers, but when their son was born, Karen decided to try her hand at a home-decorating business. She returned to teaching for a while but changes in her life led her to writing romance fiction. Now she writes mysteries and romances full time. She is a USA Today best-selling and award-winning author. Her 86th novel, GILT BY ASSOCIATION, will be released in 2015 by Kensington Books.

When she isn't writing, she cares for four rescue cats and a couple of strays, gardens, and cooks. Married to her college sweetheart since 1971, believing in the power of love and commitment, she envisions herself writing relationship novels, both mystery and romance, for a long time to come!

Ten Things About Me

I was an only child who always longed for a sister.

During my childhood I always had access to a relative's farm.

This summer my husband and I took in a stray pregnant cat and helped deliver her kittens.

When I was in my late twenties, I learned to swim and ride horses!

I attended the Beatles concert at Dodger Stadium.

With my cousin I wrote a script for The Monkees tv show.

I wrote for six years and finished 13 manuscripts before I sold two books in one week to two different publishers.

I use a tape recorder to write and like to tape on the patio on summer nights under the moon.

The
national bestselling author of The Wedding Soup Murder returns to the
Jersey Shore where a killer is stirring up trouble during a hurricane…

At the Casa Lido, the end of summer means a party, and hit whodunit writer
Victoria “Vic” Rienzi and her family are cooking like crazy for the
restaurant’s seventieth anniversary celebration. As they chop onions and
garlic, old family friend Pete Petrocelli stops by, saying he knows something
that would make for a good mystery novel. Curious, Vic asks Nonna to elaborate
on Pete’s claim and learns of a relative who mysteriously disappeared back in
Italy…

The night of the party brings a crowd—and a full throttle hurricane. When the
storm finally passes, everyone thinks they’re in the clear—until the first
casualty is found, and it’s Pete. Remembering his visit, Vic isn’t certain
Pete’s death was an accident and decides to dig deeper into his story. What she
finds is meatier than Nonna’s sauce…

Add
toGoodreads

Praise
for the Italian Kitchen Mysteries:
"So good I can taste it."—New
York Timesbestselling author
Stephanie Evanovich

"I enjoyed every bite."—New
York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay

“Blends mystery with comedy, romance, family drama, a vivid and affectionate
portrayal of the Jersey Shore.”—New
Jersey Monthly

“More twists in it than a bowl of rotini.”—Suspense
Magazine

“My mouth is already watering for the next book in this delicious series.”—Myshelf.com

MEET
ROSIE

A Jersey girl born and bred, national bestselling
author Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting
for much of her work. The atmosphere of the Jersey shore is present in the
details, whether it’s the smell of the sea, the sound of a Springsteen song, or
the taste of Kohr’s custard from the boardwalk. And no summer is complete
unless she has sand in her shoes.

A bookworm from the time she could sound out words,
Rosie spent many happy hours in her home town library where she hid behind the
stacks reading the titles she was too young to check out. She earned two
degrees in English from Rutgers University, where she discovered to her delight
that reading Jane Austen was actually considered homework.

Though she’s always
considered herself a writer, she didn’t pen her first novel until ten years
ago, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Her series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed
by her deep appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love
of classic mysteries, from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. Her debut novel, Murder
and Marinara, was named a Best Cozy of 2013 by Suspense Magazine and was a
finalist for a 2014 Daphne Du Maurier Award. An English teacher by day and
novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista.
She still lives in her home state with her husband and her youngest son.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Playing naughty or nice . . .Fiona Wilder knows all about falling in lust. Love? That's another story. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, the single mom and cupcake shop owner is focused on walking the straight and narrow. But trouble has a way of finding her. And this time it comes in the form of a smoking hot firefighter who knows all the delicious ways to ignite her bad-girl fuse. Can lead to heartbreak . . .

Firefighter Mike Halsey learned long ago that playing with fire just gets you burned. He's put his demons behind him, and if there's one line he won't cross, it's getting involved with his best friend's ex. But when fate throws him in the path of the beautiful, strong, and off-limits Fiona, will he be able to fight their attraction? Or will he willingly go down in flames? Or a sweet surprise!

Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of
Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s experienced
life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to chasing
down wayward steers. Only one thing has remained the same: her passion for
writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love,
and the security one finds in their own happily ever after.

As a journalist, Cassidy DiRocco thought she had seen every depraved thing New York City’s underbelly had to offer. But while covering what appears to be a vicious animal attack, she finds herself drawn into a world she never knew existed. Her exposé makes her the target of the handsome yet brutal Dominic Lysander, the Master Vampire of New York City, who has no problem silencing her to keep his coven's secrets safe…

But Dominic offers Cassidy another option: ally. He reveals she is a night blood, a being with powers of her own, including the ability to become a vampire. As the body count escalates, Cassidy is caught in the middle of a vampire rebellion. Dominic insists she can help him stop the coming war, but wary of his intentions, Cassidy enlists the help of the charming Ian Walker, a fellow night blood. As the battle between vampires takes over the city, Cassidy will have to tap into her newfound powers and decide where to place her trust...

Melody Johnson is the author of the Night Blood series. She graduated magna cum laude from Lycoming College with her B.A. in creative writing and psychology. While still earning her degree, she worked as an editing intern for Wahida Clark Presents Publishing. She was a copyeditor for several novels, including Cheetah by Missy Jackson; Trust No Man II by Cash; and Karma with a Vengeance by Tash Hawthorne. Book #1 of the Night Blood series, The City Beneath, is her debut novel. When she isn't writing, Melody can be found hiking the many woodsy trails in her Pennsylvania hometown or sunning and swimming at the beach.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Welcome
to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented byGreat Escapes Virtual Book
Tours,
for MacDeath by Cindy
Brown. Please leave a comment or question for Cindy to let her know
you stopped by. You can enter the giveaway for this post by filling out
the Rafflecopter form below. You can
also visit the remaining tour stops by clicking on the banner above. My review will be posted later this morning.

Like every
actor, Ivy Meadows knows that Macbeth is cursed. But she’s finally scored her
big break, cast as an acrobatic witch in a circus-themed production of Macbeth
in Phoenix, Arizona. And though it may not be Broadway, nothing can dampen her
enthusiasm—not her flying caldron, too-tight leotard, or carrot-wielding
dictator of a director.

But when one
of the cast dies on opening night, Ivy is sure the seeming accident is “murder
most foul” and that she’s the perfect person to solve the crime (after all, she
does work part-time in her uncle’s detective agency). Undeterred by a poisoned
Big Gulp, the threat of being blackballed, and the suddenly too-real curse, Ivy
pursues the truth at the risk of her hard-won career—and her life.

About Cindy Brown

Cindy Brown
has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright)
since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky
enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013
international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue
Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop.

Though Cindy
and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix,
Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead
bodies in both cities.

About Me

Welcome to the Queen of All She Reads Blog. I review all genre of books. Whatever catches my fancy. I either purchase the books or receive the books through a book tour, NetGalley, or the publisher. I do not get paid to review any book.
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